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第44章

雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2-第44章

小说: 雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2 字数: 每页4000字

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  A severe thought; starting oddly from a clash of words; suddenly traversed the conflict of quips in which Grantaire; Bahorel; Prouvaire; Bossuet; beferre; and Courfeyrac were confusedly fencing。
  How does a phrase crop up in a dialogue?
  Whence es it that it suddenly impresses itself on the attention of those who hear it? We have just said; that no one knows anything about it。
  In the midst of the uproar; Bossuet all at once terminated some apostrophe to beferre; with this date:
  〃June 18th; 1815; Waterloo。〃
  At this name of Waterloo; Marius; who was leaning his elbows on a table; beside a glass of water; removed his wrist from beneath his chin; and began to gaze fixedly at the audience。
  〃Pardieu!〃 exclaimed Courfeyrac (〃Parbleu〃 was falling into disuse at this period); 〃that number 18 is strange and strikes me。
  It is Bonaparte's fatal number。
  Place Louis in front and Brumaire behind; you have the whole destiny of the man; with this significant peculiarity; that the end treads close on the heels of the mencement。〃
  Enjolras; who had remained mute up to that point; broke the silence and addressed this remark to beferre:
  〃You mean to say; the crime and the expiation。〃
  This word crime overpassed the measure of what Marius; who was already greatly agitated by the abrupt evocation of Waterloo; could accept。
  He rose; walked slowly to the map of France spread out on the wall; and at whose base an island was visible in a separate partment; laid his finger on this partment and said:
  〃Corsica; a little island which has rendered France very great。〃
  This was like a breath of icy air。
  All ceased talking。
  They felt that something was on the point of occurring。
  Bahorel; replying to Bossuet; was just assuming an attitude of the torso to which he was addicted。
  He gave it up to listen。
  Enjolras; whose blue eye was not fixed on any one; and who seemed to be gazing at space; replied; without glancing at Marius:
  〃France needs no Corsica to be great。
  France is great because she is France。
  Quia nomina leo。〃
  Marius felt no desire to retreat; he turned towards Enjolras; and his voice burst forth with a vibration which came from a quiver of his very being:
  〃God forbid that I should diminish France!
  But amalgamating Napoleon with her is not diminishing her。
  e! let us argue the question。 I am a new er among you; but I will confess that you amaze me。 Where do we stand?
  Who are we?
  Who are you?
  Who am I?
  Let us e to an explanation about the Emperor。
  I hear you say Buonaparte; accenting the u like the Royalists。
  I warn you that my grandfather does better still; he says Buonaparte'。 I thought you were young men。
  Where; then; is your enthusiasm?
  And what are you doing with it?
  Whom do you admire; if you do not admire the Emperor? And what more do you want?
  If you will have none of that great man; what great men would you like?
  He had everything。
  He was plete。 He had in his brain the sum of human faculties。
  He made codes like Justinian; he dictated like Caesar; his conversation was mingled with the lightning…flash of Pascal; with the thunderclap of Tacitus; he made history and he wrote it; his bulletins are Iliads; he bined the cipher of Newton with the metaphor of Mahomet; he left behind him in the East words as great as the pyramids; at Tilsit he taught Emperors majesty; at the Academy of Sciences he replied to Laplace; in the Council of State be held his own against Merlin; he gave a soul to the geometry of the first; and to the chicanery of the last; he was a legist with the attorneys and sidereal with the astronomers; like Cromwell blowing out one of two candles; he went to the Temple to bargain for a curtain tassel; he saw everything; he knew everything; which did not prevent him from laughing good…naturedly beside the cradle of his little child; and all at once; frightened Europe lent an ear; armies put themselves in motion; parks of artillery rumbled; pontoons stretched over the rivers; clouds of cavalry galloped in the storm; cries; trumpets; a trembling of thrones in every direction; the frontiers of kingdoms oscillated on the map; the sound of a superhuman sword was heard; as it was drawn from its sheath; they beheld him; him; rise erect on the horizon with a blazing brand in his hand; and a glow in his eyes; unfolding amid the thunder; his two wings; the grand army and the old guard; and he was the archangel of war!〃
  All held their peace; and Enjolras bowed his head。
  Silence always produces somewhat the effect of acquiescence; of the enemy being driven to the wall。
  Marius continued with increased enthusiasm; and almost without pausing for breath:
  〃Let us be just; my friends!
  What a splendid destiny for a nation to be the Empire of such an Emperor; when that nation is France and when it adds its own genius to the genius of that man!
  To appear and to reign; to march and to triumph; to have for halting…places all capitals; to take his grenadiers and to make kings of them; to decree the falls of dynasties; and to transfigure Europe at the pace of a charge; to make you feel that when you threaten you lay your hand on the hilt of the sword of God; to follow in a single man; Hannibal; Caesar; Charlemagne; to be the people of some one who mingles with your dawns the startling announcement of a battle won; to have the cannon of the Invalides to rouse you in the morning; to hurl into abysses of light prodigious words which flame forever; Marengo; Arcola; Austerlitz; Jena; Wagram! To cause constellations of victories to flash forth at each instant from the zenith of the centuries; to make the French Empire a pendant to the Roman Empire; to be the great nation and to give birth to the grand army; to make its legions fly forth over all the earth; as a mountain sends out its eagles on all sides to conquer; to dominate; to strike with lightning; to be in Europe a sort of nation gilded through glory; to sound athwart the centuries a trumpet…blast of Titans; to conquer the world twice; by conquest and by dazzling; that is sublime; and what greater thing is there?〃
  〃To be free;〃 said beferre。
  Marius lowered his head in his turn; that cold and simple word had traversed his epic effusion like a blade of steel; and he felt it vanishing within him。
  When he raised his eyes; beferre was no longer there。
  Probably satisfied with his reply to the apotheosis; he had just taken his departure; and all; with the exception of Enjolras; had followed him。
  The room had been emptied。
  Enjolras; left alone with Marius; was gazing gravely at him。
  Marius; however; having rallied his ideas to some extent; did not consider himself beaten; there lingered in him a trace of inward fermentation which was on the point; no doubt; of translating itself into syllogisms arrayed against Enjolras; when all of a sudden; they heard some one singing on the stairs as he went。
  It was beferre; and this is what he was singing: 〃Si Cesar m'avait donne'25' La gloire et la guerre; 
   Et qu'il me fallait quitter L'amour de ma mere; 
   Je dirais au grand Cesar: Reprends ton sceptre et ton char; 
   J'aime mieux ma mere; o gue! 
   J'aime mieux ma mere!〃
   '25' If Cesar had given me glory and war; and I were obliged to quit my mother's love; I would say to great Caesar; 〃Take back thy sceptre and thy chariot; I prefer the love of my mother。〃
   The wild and tender accents with which beferre sang municated to this couplet a sort of strange grandeur。
  Marius; thoughtfully; and with his eyes diked on the ceiling; repeated almost mechanically: 〃My mother?〃
  At that moment; he felt Enjolras' hand on his shoulder。
  〃Citizen;〃 said Enjolras to him; 〃my mother is the Republic。〃


BOOK FOURTH。THE FRIENDS OF THE A B C
CHAPTER VI 
  RES ANGUSTA
   That evening left Marius profoundly shaken; and with a melancholy shadow in his soul。
  He felt what the earth may possibly feel; at the moment when it is torn open with the iron; in order that grain may be deposited within it; it feels only the wound; the quiver of the germ and the joy of the fruit only arrive later。
  Marius was gloomy。
  He had but just acquired a faith; must he then reject it already?
  He affirmed to himself that he would not。 He declared to himself that he would not doubt; and he began to doubt in spite of himself。
  To stand between two religions; from one of which you have not as yet emerged; and another into which you have not yet entered; is intolerable; and twilight is pleasing only to bat…like souls。
  Marius was clear…eyed; and he required the true light。
  The half…lights of doubt pained him。 Whatever may have been his desire to remain where he was; he could not halt there; he was irresistibly constrained to continue; to advance; to examine; to think; to march further。
  Whither would this lead him? He feared; after having taken so many steps which had brought him nearer to his father; to now take a step which should estrange him from that father。
  His disfort was augmented by all the reflections which occurred to him。
  An escarpm

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